Up to no Good
by acciooh
Summary: Lily Evans is going into her 7th year at Hogwarts. She's become Head Girl. Everything is great, until she finds out who the Head Boy is, and realizes what she feels for the messy haired James Potter. R&R. Rated Teen just because.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

KINGS CROSS

Lily Evans waited between the platforms 9 and 10. Her deep red hair flowed vibrant down her back, her startling green eyes scanning the crowd of Kings Cross Station.

"Lily!" She whipped her head around at the sound of her name.

"Mum!" A pretty older lady with auburn hair matching Lily's stepped through the crowd, enveloping Lily in a large hug.

"Have fun, darling. Be safe."

"I will, Mum." Lily grinned. Just the idea of her going back to _Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry_ made her giddy.

"I tried to get Petunia to come send you off, but..."

"It's okay Mum. Tuney would blow her fuse, having so many _freaks_ nearby." Lily said bitterly.

"Ok, darling, she's just scared of different."

"Whatever."

"LILY!" It was her friend Marlene, waving her arms from across the platforms. "THE TRAIN LEAVES SOON!" Her long blonde hair floated down around her.

"I gotta go Mum! Love you!" She hugged her mother quickly, then dashed off to meet Marlene, one of her best friends.

"Aren't you excited!?" Marlene was nearly jumping up and down as they pushed their carts carrying their trunks and owls. Lily's smooth black owl, Penny, hooted excitedly in her cage.

"Of course!" Lily grinned even wider. "Seventh years! This year is gonna be great!"

"You know, some of the boys are looking pretty great too."

"Oh, and who caught your fancy?" Lily said with a smirk.

"Oh, no one."

"LIES."

"Fine. Sirius Black." Lily sputtered.

"What!?"

"Sirius."

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, I am _very_ serious about Sirius." Marlene smiling mischievously and together, her and Lily walked straight into the wall of platform 9 3/4.

As they emerged on the other side, the sounds of young wizards and witches being seen off by their parents filled Lily's ears. This brought another smile to her face. She belonged here. In the muggle worlds, she was a freak, an outsider, when she went home for the summer. Here, she was like everyone else. Well.. a little better than everyone else.

"MARLENE!" Lily yelled so loudly that Marlene and about 5 first years that were standing near her jumped nearly our of their skin. "I forgot to tell you!"

"What?"

"I got Head Girl!" Marlene shrieked with joy.

"AH! Yes! I knew you would get it!"

"Thanks! I wonder who Head Boy is?" She put through the possible candidates. It could be Remus, her quiet but very smart friend. She decided she would find out soon enough. They boarded the train and got a quiet compartment to themselves. But as soon as Lily sat down, a scream erupted. Lily squealed and jumped up, turning around to face the seat. Nothing appeared to be wrong. She cautiously sat down again, Marlene watching her. After a few seconds of silence, there came the high-pitched scream again. "Hello? HELLO?"

"Hullo." Then four Marauders appeared, laughing their heads off.

"What is wrong with you four?!" Lily sighed and sat down, James Potter taking a seat beside her.

"Lilyflower, you know exactly what is wrong with us."

"And what is that, Potter?" Lily said as Sirius Black piped in.

"Everything." He grinned and sat down next to Marlene, who smiled and made room. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew sat in the booth across the aisle. Sirius Black had long dark hair. He was very handsome, and a troublemaker. Lily and him were friends, but they didn't talk much.

Remus Lupin was a tall boy. His hair was a slight off-brown color, but Lily had noticed it had streaks of silver in it occasionally. He was the level-headed one of the group. He was smart and responsible, a prefect, but he still could goof around with his Marauder friends.

Peter Pettigrew was a small, plump boy. He mostly hung around the Marauders, and Lily wondered if he even felt a part of the group. He was quiet mostly, and kept to himself.

James Potter, the tall boy with unruly black hair and sparkling hazel eyes that was sitting next to her, was a complete and utter toerag. He and Sirius had been causing trouble in this school since the group's first year. Worst yet, he had a nagging crush on Lily, that had shown itself present since they were 11. He pestered her, asked her on dates about every day, and Lily turned him down every time. Somehow, he never deterred from his mission. Now she watched him, his dark rimmed glasses halfway down his nose, he ruffled his crazy dark hair and grinned an adorable smile.

Adorable.

Where had that word come from?

Lily shook her head to clear the though. She did NOT think James Potter's smile was adorable. She turned her attention to Sirius, who had been telling a very entertaining story, by the look on Marlene and James's faces. As he finished his tale, everyone erupted into laughter, except for Lily.

"Where did your sense of humor go, Evans?" She whipped her head up to James.

"Sorry, wasn't listening." She glanced down at her watch. _Crap._ Lily leaped from her seat, and into the lap of James. He looked startled, then grinned.

"Finally came 'round, Evans?" She scrambled off him.

"I gotta be to the Head Students meeting!" James smiled as he stood up and followed her out the door. When Lily arrived at the meeting, she was happy to see it hadn't started yet. She found a seat, and as quickly as she sat down, James appeared in the chair next to her. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"I have duties too." He smirked as the meeting begun.

"I'd like to introduce your new Head Girl and Head Boy." said a fifth year girl that was conducting the meeting. "Lily Evans, and James Potter." _WHAT?_ Lily got up rigidly and went up to the front. She didn't dare look at James, knowing the smirk that would be on his face. James Potter, Head Boy. He must have rigged the system. No way he could have made Head Boy!

"Alright. Prefect duties will be assigned after the meeting, so everyone line up for me and Potter to add you into the rotations." Lily directed as people made lines. Lily and James spent almost the whole train ride assigning people to duties. Once everyone was on the list, Lily and James rushed off to get changed into their robes before the train reached Hogwarts.

As the Hogwarts Express was nearing the school, Marlene came up to Lily.

"Soo.. Who's the Head Boy?" Lily scowled.

"Potter." She muttered.

"AH! Potter! You get to share a common room and the Head Dorms with him!"

"I believe instead of 'get to' the term your looking for is 'have to'."

"Oh, c'mon. Potter isn't that bad."

"He's fancied me since first year, and hasn't stopped pestering me since!"

"Well, wanna know the way to get him to stop asking you out?"

"I doubt there is a way."

"GO OUT WITH HIM."

"Absolutely not."

"C'mon LILS! I know you fancy him, deep down."

"Like heck." Just then all four of the Marauders came up to the girls.

"Now, Lily, who do you fancy, deep down?" James grinned as she blushed.

"No one, you prat."

"You all ready? Seventh year, full of fun and mischief?" Sirius grinned while saying it.

"Of course!" Lily and James chorused at the same time, with Lily blushing, as they all stepped off the train onto the grounds of glistening Hogwarts Castle.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

BEGINNING OF THE YEAR

Lily's favorite part of Hogwarts was probably the library. After watching the delicious food appear on everyone' s plates, eating hastily, then sitting through Dumbledore's speech and the Sorting Hat's song, Lily escaped the Marauders and Marlene and settled herself in a corner at the library with a book. after a few precious moments of peace, Lily heard her name.

"Lilyflower?!" It was James. Lily debated staying quiet, but then James would keep yelling. Madam Pince looked like she was about to walk over and hit James with her book, so Lily guessed he had been yelling for some time.

"Potter?" she hissed. "I'm over here!" She saw James unruly head stick out from behind a bookshelf, his glasses sliding down his nose. "You realize, though I doubt you spend much time in the library, that you have to be QUIET?" He just grinned, then came closer. His nose was inches from hers.

"Am I quiet enough now?" He whispered, a small smile on his face. Lily pushed him away.

"You will only ever be quiet enough when your mouth is glued shut."

"There are other ways to shut my mouth."

"Why are you here?" Lily' s voice was exasperated, James noticed. He straightened up.

"Um, McGonagall wants us. She's gonna go over the Head's duties and rules for the Dorms." Lily noticed his voice had changed. He sounded wary. Never in her life, would she think she would ever hear James Potter sound wary. She closed her book.

"Alright." She stood and walked out of the library with James, and when they reached the dorm, McGonagall was already there. She stood outside the portrait hole.

"Hello Potter, Evans. I'll give you the tour, then we'll go over the duties of Head Girl and Boy." She turned to the portrait, it was of a Gryffindor Lion. "You two can decide the password." James looked at Lily. She shrugged.

"Golden Snitch." James said.

"Well that's not obvious." Lily said, rolling her eyes. McGonagall and the two Heads stepped into the most gorgeous common room Lily had ever seen. Red and gold was everywhere. The couches and chairs were upholstered in a brilliant scarlet. Red and yellow streams hung from the ceiling, and the roaring fire glowed. "Wow." Lily grinned and tried to look at everything.

"Yes, there are some advantages to being Head Boy and Girl." McGonagall said, smiling at both of their reactions. James was walking around, grinning like an idiot and touching everything. Lily plopped down on one of the couches. She sighed. It was possibly the most comfortable couch ever. "Now, you must not let anyone but you two enter this room. You are welcome to go visit classmates in their dorms, but they are not to come in here. James dorm is that way, Lily's is that way." She pointed in the correct directions. "You each get your own bathroom, bedroom, and living room." James was grinning even more so now. "Boys are not allowed in the Girls Dorm. You know that." McGonagall looked around the room. "You are welcome to go look around now. Meet me in my office in 10 minutes so we can go over your duties." With that McGonagall swept out of the room.

"Wow.. Look at this place." James spun around.

"I could get used to this." Lily said, curling up on the couch. James smiled at her peaceful look.

"I'm gonna go look at my dorm." James dashed up the stairs. Lily smirked and walked over the Girls Dorms. Not the Girls Dorm, just her dorm. She laughed disbelievingly as she walked into her room. All her stuff had been moved up here, and Penny hooted happily when she saw Lily enter the room. The bedroom was gigantic. She had a queen bed and a stunning window that looked out on the Quidditch fields. The bathroom was ginormous, and the living room had a few couches and, to Lily's excitement, a small library. She smiled as she ran her hands along the books on the beautiful shelves. She realized that it had almost been ten minutes, and dashed down the stairs. Not looking where she was going, she barreled right into James. He fell flat on his back, and wheezed, the wind knocked out of him, and Lily, to her horror, fell right on top of him. They laid there for a moment, in stunned silence, then Lily got up quickly, brushed herself off, and rushed out the door, James staring after her.

She debated running and hiding, but that wouldn't help. Her cheeks were burning and her mind was racing. She did not feel this way about James. She did not, at all, still feel where his body touched hers. She did not, absolutely not, want to run her fingers through his wonderful hair. And most of all, she did not, in that one moment when she was looking into his soft hazel eyes, think about kissing him. She tugged at her hair. No, she did not fancy James. The bloke had tortured her since they met. Now that she thought about it though, the last year he did nothing to provoke her. He backed off. He was kind and not at all annoying. What was happening?! She shook her head. Worrying about it was not going to help. She took a deep breath and walked to Professor McGonagall's office.

When she walked in, James was not there. She took a seat in one of the chairs as McGonagall looked curiously at her. Did she have emotion written across her face? She stared at the floor.

"Miss Evans, where is Mr. Potter?"

"I don't know, Professor." Just then, James walked into the room. He slid coolly into the seat beside Lily.

"Mr. Potter, is there a reason why you are late?"

"I got distracted, Professor."

"By what, Potter?"

"Um.. Peeves, Professor." McGonagall gave him an odd look, then nodded.

"Very well. Now, we go over your responsibilities as Head Boy and Girl." She looked at both of them. "You have authority over all prefects, and shall organize their duty schedules. You two must patrol yourselves, also. You are an example here at Hogwarts, and if I see either of you abusing your power," She glanced at James, "you shall be removed from your position. Got it?"

"Yes, Professor." The two chorused.

"Thank you, you may return now." Lily and James departed. In the corridor, Lily stopped James.

"Peeves? Really?"

"What?"

"I'd much rather it be Peeves than me." With that she stalked off, James shaking his head. What would it take to get Lily to go out with him? He'd been persistent (The first five years of his time at Hogwarts) and finally backed off last year. Then she'd fallen on him today. In her eyes.. there was something, well, not murderous. 'At least it's a start.' James thought as he went to find the other Marauders.

He came across Remus in the corridor.

"Hey Moony, where are the others?" Remus barely looked up from his book to acknowledge James.

"Padfoot is somewhere with Marlene, Peter is who knows where." James frowned as Remus walked away. What was Sirius doing with Marlene? He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Lily couldn't find Marlene in the Gryffindor dorms. Or in the kitchen, or in the great hall. She even searched the library, though there was no way Marlene would ever be in there. Lily bumped into Remus on her was out.

"Hey Remus, have you seen Marlene?" Remus looked up from his book and smiled.

"She's with Sirius somewhere." Lily's eyebrows rose. Marlene wasn't kidding about the troublemaker.

"Oh. Okay. See you later?"

"Bye, Lily." Remus turned back to his book as Lily walked out of the library, right into Severus Snape. She gasped as her books tumbled out of her hands.

"Oh, great." Severus wasn't listening. He quickly picked up her books, and with a glare, sulked off. Lily couldn't remember the last time Sev smiled at her. Ever since the incident, he had been cold. James dangled him upside down and called him Snivellus repeatedly, while Lily tried to stop James.

_"Potter, what did he ever do to you?"_

_"It's more the fact that he exists.." _Then Severus had called Lily a Mudblood. She had been much more hurt then she had let on. Sev was the one who introduced her to magic, and the first friend she had here. They hadn't uttered more than a few words to each other since.

Lily met the Marauders and Marlene at the Gryffindor table for dinner in the Great Hall. Dinner the first night at Hogwarts is always the most welcoming. The plates filled up simultaneously as the group of seventh years ate furiously. After most of the students had finished their food, Dumbledore stood up.

"Attention." He barely shouted the word and the Great Hall went silent. "Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. We are quite excited to let you know that we will have a few special visitors." There were excited whispers all around. "The Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute, Igor Karkaroff, and all of his fifth, sixth, and seventh year students, shall be visiting us around October 31st." The excitement got louder. "This, of course, calls for a Halloween Ball." No one was even whispering anymore. Lily leaned across James, whispering to Marlene.

"A ball! What am I gonna wear?"

"Oh, Lily, I can't wait!" Marlene grinned widely, then both girls turned their attention back to the Professor.

"I am sorry to say, that this dance will be Fifth Years and up only. Unless, of course, you are asked by someone older." There was a collective groan from plenty of students. "I expect you all to respect the Durmstrang students. Now, I dismiss you for bed. Goodnight everyone." There was a clutter as everyone stood and moved towards the Great Hall doors. Lily walked with Marlene, chatting excitedly about the ball, until she turned to head to the Head Dorms. As Marlene said goodbye, Lily saw her hook arms with Sirius. She shook her head and walked slightly ahead of James, who had appeared to the side of her.

"McGonagall said we are in charge of decorating for the ball."

"Ooh, fun. I love decorating." Lily grinned. She couldn't wait for the ball.

"She also said we have to share a dance." He looked down as he said it.

"Okay." He looked astonished at her reaction.

"You're not upset?"

"Of course I am, Potter." She smiled as she walked into the dorm room, James staring after her confusedly.


	3. Chapter 3

CALL ME JAMES

Lily was determined to sleep in the next morning, because classes started the day after. Of course, she was woken by a heaving pounding at the crack of dawn. She pulled on a robe as she stumbled down the stairs, looking for the source of the noise.

"James.. what are you doing?!" James was sitting at the mahogany table in the middle of the common room, wearing only pajama pants, pounding his fists on the wood. "James!" Lily ran over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He turned at her touch. Tears were running down his face. "James?"

"Lily..."

"What's happening, James?"

"My parents.. They're dead." Lily just stared. She sat down in the chair next to him, keeping her hand on him. He sniffed.

"How-"

"You-Know-Who." He gripped the edge of the table so hard his knuckles were white. "Murdered. He murdered them. They were Aurors."

"James-"

"My owl came to my window this morning." His voice was wobbly.

"I'm sorry, James." She looked over just as he gazed at her.

"You never called me James." He said this matter-of-factly.

"I- I know."

"Why don't you ever call me James?"

"I don't-" She sighed. "To call you James would be admitting something to myself."

"What?"

"That I don't hate you." He smiled slightly, then stood up.

"Lily Evans not hating me." He started pacing. "There have been two drastic changes in my life today." There was a knock on the portrait hole before Lily could reply. She was in shock. She had not known James's parents, but she felt sorrow none the less. He walked over to the portrait hole, but hesitated before it. "It's probably Remus." He said quietly.

"James, if you don't want to see anyone right now, I can tell him to go." Lily had walked up behind James. He turned to face her. They were standing less than a foot apart. "James.." His hazel eyes were mournful. He sighed.

"I don't know..." Then he abruptly grabbed Lily's shoulders and pulled her into a tight hug. Her hands were around his middle and his hands subconsciously toyed with her hair. Lily let go of a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. They stood there like that, hugging, until a louder knock broke them apart.

"James?" It was Remus. James reached out and opened the door, Remus entering. He looked just as sad as James. His mousy hair stuck up all around his head. "James, I heard... Are you okay?" James walked over and sat on the couch, exhaling. Remus looked at Lily before walking over and sitting down next to James, the fire reflecting off both their grim faces.

"I'd rather not talk, Moony." Remus nodded. Lily sat on the other side of James, took hold of his hand, and for a while the three just sat there.

"James, you need to eat." Lily stood at the foot of James's bed, him sitting on the edge in his Gryffindor striped pajama pants. He shook his head. It was 3 days after the owl had pecked at James's window. Lily had begun to go to classes, but James had stayed in his dorm for almost two days. Dumbledore had sadly excused him.

"James.." Lily thought for a moment. "Listen. You are James Potter. You are Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. You are witty, smart, funny, and handsome. You don't have parents anymore, but you have what they taught you. You have memories of them. And I sure as heck don't think they'd want you loafing around. You have a life to live. This is 7th year, for heavens sakes. Plus, you haven't showered in 2 days, and it is about time you actually _be_ the Quidditch Captain. You have a team to coach, the match against Ravenclaw is in a week, and I doubt you want your team to play like rubbish. Now, you can either sit here and wallow in misery, or you can get up, eat some darn food, and come and plan a Halloween Ball with me." Lily gave him a stony look. He had slipped into mourning and she was sick of it. He simply looked at her, and odd expression splayed across his face.

"Evans, though that was very insensitive, it was exactly what I needed to hear." James jumped up, and grabbed the tray of food from her. He flashed a quick grin, and before she had a chance to react, James kissed Lily quickly on the cheek. He had already rushed down to the common room as Lily put her hand and up and gently touched the spot where he had kissed her. She was blushing scarlet.

Lily felt as though she hadn't seen Marlene or Sirius in forever. The two were constantly sneaking off together. They sat with Lily, James, Remus, and Peter in the Great Hall, but they mostly talked to each other, or simply snogged. This particular evening, Marlene and Sirius were absent from the Gryffindor table. Lily looked to James.

"Marlene and Sirius can't seem to get enough of each other." Her voice was flat as she pushed her food around on her plate.

"You can't blame them." He said it with a small smile.

"I know, it just feels like I haven't seen Marls in forever."

"They'll get sick of each other soon enough." Remus interjected from across the table. He wasn't eating, but he held a book in front of him. This was a fairly normal sight, and Lily smiled.

"I know, Rem."

The next morning during potions, Professor Slughorn had the audacity to place Lily next to James. Lily smiled to herself, but kept a sneer on her face for her own satisfaction.

"Potter."

"Evans."

"Class," Slughorn said, "Today we will be making an Amortentia potion. Anyone know what this is?" Lily's hand shot up.

"A love potion. The most powerful love potion."

"Correct. I have written the ingredients on the board. You may begin." Lily immediately got to work, James struggling to catch up with her advanced potion skills. After a half an hour of potion-making, the class had finished. Lily's potion had turned a brilliant sparkling gold. James's had changed into a deep shade of lavender.

"Okay. Most of you have achieved the correct potion." Slughorn looked around. "The smell, as some of you may have noticed, is changed to your liking. Usually, this resembles your love." He paused. "The shade, the same. Potter, yours has turned a lavender color. What does it smell like to you?" James thought for a moment.

"Honey, the pages of a book, and lavender flowers." Lily refused to acknowledge the fact that her favorite color was, by complete coincidence, lavender.

"Wonderful. Evans, with the bright gold?" Slughorn looked to her.

"A burnt sugar, fresh grass, and the dusty sweet smell of the broom shed."

"Interesting. Snape?" His face went red.

"Um.. h-honey.. uh.. a b-book-" Just then the bell sounded, signaling the end of class.

"Alright class, make sure and dump all your contents of the potion. I want none of it leaving this room." The class packed up quickly. Lily wondered why Severus's Amortentia was just about the same as James's.. but she didn't dwell on the thought. She rushed through her classes, eager to get to the end of the day, when her and James would attempt to start planning the ball. After turning her homework in to Professor Sprout, Lily trod up the stairs to the Head Common room.

When she said the password and stepped inside, James was already there. He sat on a couch facing the fire, staring into the flames. When Lily entered, he looked up.

"Hello Lily."

"Hey, James."

"I like it when you call me James."

"Maybe I should stop."

"Why?"

"Don't wanna give you any ideas."

"Too late." He grinned. "You ready to plan a ball?"

"Absolutely." She smiled and sat down on the couch beside him. "I have a few ideas for theme. Obviously, its going to be costume. What if we had a pairing rule? Whatever date you bring, you gotta have matching costumes?"

"Sounds good, but what if someone doesn't bring a date?"

"Good point." She crossed her legs and ran a hand through her hair. "Oh I know! What about a masquerade?" She looked at James, who was grinning.

"Sounds perfect." They held each other's gaze a little longer than necessary. Lily cleared her throat.

"So.. masquerade. That way we won't be separated by houses. We'd possibly get along. I think we should color and decorate with all the house themes, including Durmstrang's colors. A bit for everyone." She was grinning. The whole thing was exciting, even if it was a month away. The Durmstrang students would arrive a week before the ball, so both the schools would have time to ask for dates and mingle beforehand.

"You're really good at this, Lils." James had a small smile on his face.

"Thank you, James." She smiled at him. "How's Quidditch going?"

"It's great. I'm pretty optimistic for the game tomorrow. Ravenclaw won't be hard to beat."

"Over-confident, that's what I say. Are you willing to bet?"

"Of course, I could never turn down one. I wager.. a kiss."

"A kiss if Gryffindor wins the match. I dunno, James.."

"C'mon Lils, you're not scared, are you?" He had a teasing smile on his face.

"'Course not. You're on, Potter." With that she stood up, and swept up to her dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

BUSINESS

Lily and Marlene walked briskly across the grounds to the Quidditch field, which looked almost full already. The towering stands were packed with students of all houses, though the Slytherin and Gryffindor stayed separate, along with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor sitting divided due to the rivalry of the game. There was no shortage of cold stares. The two girls stopped quickly by the locker rooms. As they entered, Lily was met with the sight of a shirtless James. She could see the defined muscles in his back as he reached up to grab his robes from a shelf. He turned around, pulling a shirt over his head, and Lily met his eyes as a hot blush rose on her cheeks.

"Ladies." He grinned. "I shall be looking forward to tonight's victory, Evans." Lily smirked.

"Don't be so sure you'll win, Potter."

"I have motivation." He smiled once more, then swept out of the room. Marlene greeted Sirius with a hug, who nodded at Lily and smiled. Her and Marlene left the grounds to go find their seats, next to Alice Prewett and Frank Longbottom.

"Lily, I haven't seen you in a while!" Frank grinned as they sat down. She smiled back.

"That's because I take all advanced classes, Frank." He rolled his eyes, and Lily noticed Alice was holding his hand. This was ordinary, Alice and Frank had gotten engaged, though they were only 17.

"Lily!" She looked up to see Remus wading through the crowd. He took a seat by the group. "I hear there's a bet on tonight's game." He smirked. "Though this is a good way to get James to work harder."

"Yeah, yeah." She scowled, but a small smile fought its way to her face anyway.

"The game begins!" The commentator, some 5th year Hufflepuff, shouted into the microphone as 14 brooms rose into the air. Lily turned to face the game and immediately spotted James, his hair ruffling in the wind as he flew around the pitch, his eyes scanning the field intensely. Lily smiled at his concentration. She saw Sirius zip around the field a few times. The game ran on. 10-30, Ravenclaw. 40-30, Gryffindor. 60-60, tied up. Lily kept her eyes on James, watching him soar and dive. Then she saw him change directions completely, and knew he had saw the golden glint of the Snitch. She scooted to the edge of her seat, anticipation written clearly on her face.

"Potter dives... I think he's spotted the Snitch!" The commentator shouted. Lily saw James disappear behind a beater flying through the air, and then the Gryffindor crowd erupted into cheers. "He's got it! Potter got the Snitch! Gryffindors win 60 to 210!" Lily grinned and jumped up. Her and the rest of the Gryffindors raced onto the pitch. She saw James, grinning and covered in dirt. He strutted over to her, his teammates surrounding him. She smiled as he approached.

"So, Evans?" He put his hand on the side of her face. "Where's my kiss?" She grinned and kissed him on his dirt covered cheek. "OY! That's not a proper kiss!" She smiled and looked up at him.

"You're going to have to do a lot more than win a Quidditch match for that, Potter." She quickly planted another kiss on his cheek then turned away to walk with Remus back to the castle, James staring after her, smiling as he shook his head.

In the dorm rooms that night, Lily settled herself in a couch by the fire with a book. She had barely read a page when James waltzed into the room. He was carrying a butterbeer in each hand.

"Lilyflower!" He plopped down on the couch beside her. "I brought you a butterbeer!"

"I see that." She smiled at him. "Thanks." She took a sip, the golden liquid warming her body.

"I have a proposal to make." He scooted closer to her. "You know when Dumbledore announced the ball, and he said that Karkaroff and him had "business?" I say we figure out what this business is."

"James. Bad idea. You're Head Boy, you should set an example. Also, what if Dumbledore catches you?"

"I won't be caught."

"Why can't Sirius help you?"

"He's.. preoccupied at the moment." Lily sighed.

"Him and Marls." James smiled knowingly.

"C'mon, aren't you curious what Dumbledore's doing?" Lily just looked at him. "Lils, I wanna know if he's fighting Voldemort. I wanna do something."

"James, I understand that you want to avenge your parents, but-"

"Then help me. I want to fight him. He deserves to die." James's expression was hard. Lily sighed again, exasperated.

"I'll help.. a little." James grinned. "But I swear- If we get caught, I'm going to personally execute you." Her green eyes looked vibrant in the firelight. James leaned forward. Lily could smell butterbeer on him. He was staring at her. She inhaled slightly. Yep, that was definitely butterbeer. And grass.. and, curiously, broom sticks. He leaned in a little closer. Their knees were touching. "James.." Lily whispered. Their faces were only inches apart. The firelight danced in James's hazel eyes, reflecting through his glasses. His hand crept onto her knee, his other cupping her face. Lily leaned in even more, nearly closing the distance between them. Then she realized something. James's smell.. that was what her Amortentia smelt like. It was James that she smelt. She drew back, James with a questioning look. She quickly stood up, and grabbed her book.

"Lily?" James's voice was quiet. She turned and kissed his cheek for the third time that day. Then she fled up the stairs, breathing hard. James had a power over her, making her forget everything around her. She ran her hands through her hair. He was James. That was the problem. He wasn't Potter anymore. He was James, her roommate, her friend. She was terrified of what could happen if she was left alone with him in another situation like that. She was scared of her lack of control, but what scared her most of all, is that she wanted it. She wanted him.

"Karkaroff is coming tomorrow. Three days before the Halloween Ball. Those 3 days are the opportunity to strike. Today, we plan." Lily smiled up at James as he paced in front of the table in the Head common room, where Lily was seated. "We'll have to consult Sirius for secret tunnel navigation. We can use an advanced hearing spell or something to listen in on Karkaroff and Dumbledore's conversation." James looked at her. "We're going to have to be light on our feet and avoid all professors and or caretakers. I think I have a good idea of what we can do to get near Dumbledore's office."

"What?"

"Polyjuice Potion."

"But.. who will we impersonate?"

"Two Durmstrang students."

"Why?"

"That way if we get caught, Hogwarts students will be out of the question."

"Fine, sounds good. When are Dumbledore and Karkaroff having their meeting?"

"My house-elf, Cora, is yet to report to me that information. I sent her out this morning."

"Okay. Once the Durmstrang students arrive, we'll have to make quick work on getting hairs for the potion. I expect it would be best to have them the 1st day."

"This is gonna be bloody awesome." James grinned largely.

The school was buzzing with excitement the day the Durmstrang students were to arrive.

The great hall was booming with loud chatter. Lily sat beside James, with Sirius and Marlene across form them. Remus and Peter were on either side of Lily and James. Lily could see Alice and Frank down the table a bit. Dumbledore stood up and captured the students' attention.

"Professor Karkaroff and his students from Durmstrang will be arriving today, as you all know. They shall be here any second. Everyone is expected to be respectful." He gave them as stern look. Just as Dumbledore sat down, a loud pop sounded as multiple students and one headmaster apparated into the Great Hall, many Durmstrang kids landing on tables and stepping in food.

Lily yelped as a boy landed in her soup.

"So sorry love." The boy grinned and reached down to shake her hand.

"No problem." Lily said quietly. The boy was tall and blonde, and he grinned at Lily again. Her cheeks colored.

"I'm Simon."

"Lily."

"Nice to meet you, Lily." He jumped off the table and joined his headmaster. Lily looked over to James, who was frowning into his food.

"Did the tomato soup offend you in someway, Prongsie?" Sirius laughed as James glared at him. Lily shook her head and turned her attention back to the Durmstrang students. The students wore blood-red robes, and had a certain pale complexion, being from the northern part of the world.

Dumbledore and Karkaroff shook hands. Dumbledore was smiling, though Lily could see something grim in his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles. He turned to address the visiting students.

"I have constructed extra dorms on the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors for visiting students. Please go to your respected dorms now, and unpack. Your luggage has been brought up already." The Durmstrang students filed out the doors. "Alright students, once you have finished your meal, you may take today off from your classes." Dumbledore continued. A cheer came up from the students, and Lily smiled and stood.

"What should we do, Lils?" James asked her as they walked to the Gryffindor common room.

"I'm thinking we should plan for our little _mission_ tonight, don't you think that's of minor importance?" She responded firmly.

"You know, Evans, sometimes your attitude is absolute rubbish." He grinned and moved in front of her in the hallway, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You need to have some fun." With that, he scooped her up in his arms.

"Potter! Put me down NOW!" She flailed in his arms.

"No. We're going to have fun. You don't have a choice." He carried her bridal style out the door and onto the grounds, Lily muttering curses under her breath the whole time.

"Potter, people are staring." She hissed.

"Good." Lily looked up to see where James had brought her. They were standing in the middle of the Quidditch pitch.

"NO." Lily said firmly. "Absolutely not. I am not, bloody NOT, getting on that stick." James's broom hovered in front of them.

"C'mon Lilyflower! It'll be fun!" He sat her on the waiting broom.

"No!" She squirmed, trying to get away from James's strong grip. He easily overpowered her and jumped onto the broom, sliding in in front of her.

"Hold on tight, Evans." Then James kicked off from the ground, Lily shrieking as they soared across the pitch. James was grinning widely, laughing. After a full minute of screaming her head off, Lily couldn't help but smile too.

They flew for over an hour, James grinning as Lily squealed with laughter as he executed difficult tricks. Finally James landed the broom, both of them breathing hard and smiling.

"See Evans? That's called _fun_." Lily smiled and rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't all bad." The two started walking back to the castle. "Now, we need to put our plan into motion. We need to get a DNA sample from two Durmstrang students."

"Wow, Lils, you've gotten really into this whole "plan". If I didn't know any better, I'd say you we're enjoying it."

"Shut it, Potter." They entered their common room. "I have an idea of who I could get a sample from." She smiled slyly. "Meet me back here in an hour." And she swept out of the room, towards the Durmstrang Dorms.


End file.
